


Coming Home

by quartermile



Series: homecoming [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, AU Modern Setting, Army, Artist Steve, Birthday, Clintasha - Freeform, Cupcakes, Domestic Avengers, M/M, Military, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Skinny!Steve, Stucky - Freeform, birthday surprise, coming home, sergeant, soldier!bucky, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 11:30:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3527768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quartermile/pseuds/quartermile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From a video of an abandoned baby being adopted by an infertile couple, I ended up watching around two hours of videos about soldiers coming home and surprising family members and naturally I thought of Stucky. Which, let’s face it, I always am. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to write something like this before, but it was before I was writing Stucky and the pairings I was writing before, I just couldn’t get it written. But hey, Stucky is perfect for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

“Clint, seriously. Will you stop filming me?”

“But it’s your birthday, Steve! It’s a happy day!” Clint exclaims, the camera wobbling for a moment as he bounces on his toes excitedly. 

“Not when my boyfriend isn’t here,” Steve mutters back quietly. He’s been depressed all week because today is his birthday, but his boyfriend isn’t here. Bucky’s been deployed in Iraq for eight months now and every day gets harder and harder to be without him. Especially since today is his birthday.

“Oh come on Rogers. I know it sucks but cheer up,” Natasha says from beside him where she’s helping him mix up the batter for the cupcakes. Their friend Tony is of course throwing Steve a huge party later and they agreed to bring cupcakes to eat while they watch the fireworks, but they’re having a special cake made for their smaller party.

“I can’t be emotionless like you, Tasha,” Steve snaps back. He knows his friends are trying, but all he wants to do is curl up in his bed with his head on Bucky’s pillow and let himself be as miserable as he feels. He knows the least he can do is try to be happy with them but it’s hard.

“Okay, I’m going to let that slide because I know you really miss Bucky. But say that to me any other time and you’ll be sorry,” the redhead threatens, but the edge of her lips are turned up as she leans in to speak quietly to him, “You can Skype with him later.”

Steve heaves out a heavy sigh but chooses not to reply, shrugging his shoulders as he starts to pour the batter into the cupcake liners. 

“So how are you holding up, man?” Sam asks as Nat pops his hand with a spoon as he tries to dip a finger into the batter.

Steve gives Sam a small smile, grateful for the question rather than just poking fun at him like Clint and Nat have been doing the entire morning. If he’s honest, he cried himself to sleep the night before thinking about how Bucky was thousands of miles away from him on his birthday but he’s not going to readily admit that to anyone.

“It’s hard. Not only is he here with me, but I do still have to worry about if he’s okay, if someone has come and blown up their base or if their jeep has driven over an IED or something,” Steve replies.

“Steve, you know the bases are pretty safe – or as safe as they can be in a warzone. Bucky’s alright. You know that dude is tough as nails. Keeping up with yo’ ass, he’s gotta be,” Sam teases, nudging his arm with an elbow.

Steve laughs softly and jabs a skinny elbow right back into Sam’s ribs. He supposes he can table some of his depression for the sake of his friends. They’ve tried very hard this whole month really, much less today to make it a day he can enjoy himself. At least he can try to have a little fun.

“Did we buy the candles or is the cake going to have them on it?” Sam asks.

“We’ve got them.” Clint replies, sitting down the camera in favor of picking up the small package of birthday candles. He counts out the twenty five they’ll need for the cake once Clint brings it back and tucks the little package into his jacket pocket. Who knows what the man is planning on using the others for but Natasha makes a mental note to get them out when he’s not paying attention.

“Speaking of cake, I need to go get it. I told the bakery I’d be there at two,” Clint says, pecking Nat on her cheek and sharing a secretive look with Natasha and Sam. He gives Steve a pat on the back as he walks out, “Perk up, Stevie.”

He can’t hear Steve’s swearing under his breath at him, especially at the use of the nickname only Bucky is allowed to use, but he knows he’s doing it anyway from the way he sees Sam smirk.

“It’s just not fair,” Steve grumbles after a few silent moments following Clint’s shutting the door behind himself.

“What? At least that time he shut the door behind himself. He wasn’t completely raised in a barn,” Natasha says from where she’s putting the finishing touches on the Сырники she’d made as an appetizer for something to munch on until the cake. She knows he’s talking about Bucky but at least it makes him smile at the joke.

“You know what I mean, Tash,” Steve says with a sigh, “I’m sorry. I know I’m being a real downer but I miss him so much. I worry so damn much about him and I was just hoping so hard he’d be home for this. Home period. He’s a great sniper but it’s so dangerous there.”

“It’ll be alright, dude. Just try to keep your chin up,” Sam tells him. Steve sighs to himself; that’s all anyone keeps saying to him instead of letting him be whiny like they usually do. 

Well hell, they’re probably tired of it and just want him to not be all depressed on his birthday. But damnit, his boyfriend is overseas and he misses the hell out of him.

-=-

Clint grins brightly when he looks up from his phone and sees the brown haired man still suited in his dress uniform. He stands and salutes him, “Welcome home, Sergeant Barnes.”

Bucky salutes him back, grinning himself, “Oh, come here and give me a hug Barton!” he says, pulling the shorter man in for a tight hug.

“How was your flight and shit?” Clint asks, the both of them pretending that they’re not getting emotional as they pull apart. Eight months without seeing someone whom you consider family is a longass time.

“It was long,” Bucky replies, splaying his arms out to the side as he stretches, “How’ve things been here?”

“It’s been alright. Sam is really liking his job down at the VA. Tash and I had a pregnancy scare about a week ago. That was downright terrifying,” Clint tells him.

“Use condoms, idiot,” Bucky teases, his grin wide and anxious though tired.

“She takes the pill, but her period was late so-”

“Ah! Uh uh! Don’t tell me about that!” Bucky exclaims, shoving him, “Congrats on not creating a mini-Barton. I don’t need to know the girly details.”

Clint cackles aloud, reaching for Bucky’s suitcase.

“How’s Stevie?” Bucky asks, his voice dropping a little as he gets serious, “He tells me he’s good and he misses me but I know he doesn’t always tell me the whole truth so that I don’t worry too much.”

“He’s actually holding up fairly well. I’ve expected more tears then have actually been shared but he’s been pretty upset this last week. And today especially. We’ve had to fight to get any smile from him. He really misses you, Barnes.” Clint tells him, leading him out of the Starbucks in the airport where he was waiting.

“I know. I miss him too. When I signed up, I never expected Steve and me to end up together or I never would have. I can’t stand being away from him for so long.” Bucky says, rolling his bag along behind him.

“I know but once you finish this tour, you’re out, right?” Clint asks.

“Yes I will be. I’m pretty excited,” he answers as they get to the car.

“Come on. We’ve got to go get the cake and get back before Steve starts wondering what’s going on,” Clint explains as he pops the trunk, he and Bucky putting his suitcase and backpack in the trunk, “I’m going to text Tasha when we pull up so she can make sure he’s not near the front of the house and I’ll sneak you into the front bathroom. You’ll hang out there until we sing Happy Birthday and bring him the cake.”

“That sounds good,” Bucky replies as he climbs in the passenger’s side, closing his eyes for a moment in attempt to tame the butterflies. He’s going to see his Stevie in under an hour. 

The bakery does an amazing job with the cake. It’s a pale blue green color with cream colored trimming chocolate-vanilla swirl cake. But the best part is what it says. In more of the cream colored icing, it simply says “Turn Around…”

That part was Sam’s idea and they just had to do it. There will be another actual birthday cake that night at Tony’s party, which will be a lot tamer than Steve is aware of with just their friends rather than everyone in Manhattan. But they had to set it all up to seem as if it’s just a regular mini party so they could surprise him with Bucky coming home for his month long R&R.

Bucky holds onto the cake tightly as they drive back to Clint and Natasha’s house. It’s got a small mudroom and bathroom before you get to the living room and kitchen so they decided it was perfect to stage it here rather than at Steve and Bucky’s apartment where the door opens up to the living room and kitchen where Steve would see him immediately. All they had to do was convince Steve that they’d rather do his party there because they had a bigger backyard. Like the party would even be in the backyard.

Butterflies start taking over Bucky’s stomach as they pull into the drive and he grins over at Clint, “You think he’ll be happy about this?”

“I know he will be. Don’t worry,” Clint says as he turns off the car.

“Do you think he’ll be mad that I lied to him?” Bucky frowns as the thought suddenly occurs to him that Steve could be upset he lied to him, even for his surprise.

“I doubt it. Steve is like a Chihuahua. He’s a vicious little shit if he’s trying to protect someone but when his human comes home, he’ll be so excited he just might pee on the floor.” Clint replies.

That startles a laugh out of Bucky that he has to muffle before Steve possibly hears it as he ducks into the bathroom.

“Honey, I’m home!” Clint calls as he walks ahead and into the kitchen, handing the box over to Sam to prepare the candles where Steve can’t see the cake. He immediately reaches for a one of the cheese-cakes Natasha had made and pops it into his mouth.

Sam starts to light the candles and Natasha grins, stepping up behind Steve to cover his eyes as Clint gets the camera ready. 

“Why do you have to cover my eyes,” Steve asks, almost struggling against her hands for a moment, “Seriously Tash, don’t let Clint smash my face in it please,” he laughs.

“I won’t smash your face in it,” Clint laughs, aiming the camera at Steve as the three start to sing Happy Birthday to him. It’s Bucky’s cue and he tip toes out into the kitchen and behind Steve, staying far enough back that he won’t see him in his peripheral.

“Happy birthday, Steve!” Sam shouts as Natasha uncovers Steve’s eyes, grinning over Steve’s shoulder at Bucky. 

Steve smiles widely and draws in a breath, prepared to blow out the candles when he sees what the cake says. His brows screw up as he reads it in confusion but when he glances up and sees the smiles on his friends’ faces, he turns around.

Bucky’s standing behind him, his breathtaking grin on his face as he watches comprehension immediately dawn across Steve’s features.

Steve lets out a screech, covering his mouth with his hands as he stares for a moment, his face crumbling as tears starts to overflow.

“Happy birthday, baby,” Bucky says, stepping forward and opening his arms.

“Bucky!” Steve shouts, launching himself into Bucky’s arms and burying his face in his neck, muffled sobs leaving his mouth.

“Hey Stevie,” Bucky whispers, pressing his face to Steve’s hair as his own eyes well up, “I missed you, baby.”

“I m-missed you too, Buck,” Steve replies, pulling back to a moment to shout tearfully, “You lied to me James Buchanan!”

“I wanted to surprise you, Stevie,” Bucky says, his grin still on his lips even as tears roll down his cheeks.

“I’m not mad at you, but they’re mean for keeping it from me,” Steve says, hiccupping back a sob. Even as he says it, he knows he doesn’t mean it. At least it explains why they didn’t seem concerned with his sadness earlier. God, he loves his friends.

“Let’s eat cake!” Clint exclaims suddenly and the other two laugh, but Steve and Bucky stay in one another’s arms, neither ready to let go just yet.


End file.
